Concrete pipe machine



y 6, 1966 L. c. GOURLIE ETAL 3,262,175

CONCRETE PIPE MACHINE Filed July 29, 1964 .3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIEZZINVENTORS LARRY 62 BY 6027 M (ea/44.

779M145 K. BRE/VFWSS MW MW! Wm July 26, 1966 L, c. GOURLIE ETAL3,262,175

CONCRETE PIPE MACHINE Filed July 29, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 MIN?llllllll'l INVENTOR'S 44x27 6. 600mm BY C027 A4. CONE-{L THOMAS A.BEE/759;: My) *2/11;

Arramrers July 26, 1966 GOURLIE ETAL 3,262,175

CONCRETE PIPE MACHINE .5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 29, 1964 INVENTORSFIE. 4 M

United States Patent 3,262,175 CONCRETE PIPE MACHINE Larry C. Gourlie,Kent, Wash, Curt M. Cowell, Salem,

Greg, and Thomas K. Breitfuss, Kent, Wash, assignors to HydrotileMachinery Company, Nashua, Iowa, a

corporation of Iowa Filed July 29, 1964, Ser. No. 385,870 12 Claims.(Cl. 25-36) The present invention has relation to a concrete pipemachine of the type using a reinforcing cage and a packet head forforming the pipe in the machine and more particularly to an automaticcage positioner for the machine which eliminates the necessity of usinga great deal of manual labor in positioning the reinforcing cages.

In casting or forming reinforced concrete pipe, there is a cage of wiremesh positioned inside an outer mold. A packer head is initiallypositioned at the bottom of the mold and a concrete mix is poured intothe mold. The packer head is moved upwardly and at the same time isrotated to force the concrete outwardly so that a tubular pipe is formedbetween the packer head and the outer mold. The concrete is packedaround a reinforcing cage positioned between the outer mold and thepacker head as the packer head moves upwardly. The cage must besupported in concentric position with the mold and packer head so thatthe concrete is uniformly disbursed around the cage and a solid densepipe is made.

Various structures have been presented for supporting these reinforcingcages in place while the packer head moves upwardly and forms theconcrete pipe between the outer mold and the head. While some of theseprior structures have worked with limited success none have provedcompletely adaptable to automatic use.

The device of the present invention presents a cage positioner unitwhich will fit within a reinforcing cage in position relative to theaxis of the pipe and will move upwardly with the packer head and holdthe reinforcing cage properly positioned as the concrete pipe is formed.As shown, the device utilizes three radially projecting and extensiblesupports which are operated by fluid pressure and which willautomatically center the cage in proper position in relation to the pipeaxis. When the unit has reached the upper limit of travel, means areprovided for automatically retracting the cage supports to clear aprovided upper tongue forming head for the T pipe. The cage supportswill remain retracted until an operator again operates them to center anew cage.

It is an object of the present invention to present a device which willautomatically center a reinforcing cage in relation to the axis of apipe to be formed and retain it in proper position while the materialfrom which the pipe is being formed is packed around the cage.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a packer head type concrete pipemaking apparatus utilizing a cage positioner made according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the pipe mold, packer head andcage positioner apparatus of the device of FIG. 1, and taken as on line22 in FIG. 1;

'FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken as on line 3-3 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken as on line 44 inFIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a hydraulic control valve usedwith the invention.

Referring to the drawings and the numerals of reference thereon, a pipemaking machine of the packer head type, illustrated generally at 10,includes an outer frame 11 which is mounted onto a base 12. The frame1i1 is an upright frame having an overhead support member 1 3 .and aplurality of upright support members .14. An outer mold jacket 15 ismounted on the base 12 inside the frame 11 and extends u'prightlytherefrom. The outer jacket 15 is supported on the base in a usual orpreferred manner and has a groove forming ring or pallet 16 located inthe interior thereof. The upper end of the jacket 15 is supported by asuitable charging or loading-filling platform 17 which in turn isvertically slidably mounted on suitable support members 18 attached tothe frame 11. The charging platform 17 can be raised or lowered toaccommodate different size outer molds 15 and also raised to permit thefinished pipe and mold to be removed and a new mold and cage inserted.The outer mold 1 5 can be of the ordinary split mold type which has aplurality of annular reinforcing rings 20 which can be clamped togetherin any preferred manner to hold the two mold sections in a cylindricalshape. The jacket or mold 15 is held with respect to the chargingplatform with brackets 53 during the pipe forming operation.

The pipe making machine, as shown, if the packer head type wherein apacker head 21 is mounted for vertical movement along and about the axisof the mold 15. Suitable cementitious material is poured onto the charging platform 17 and is dropped down into the pipe forming cavity of themold which is the annular space between the outer surface of the packerhead and the inner surface of the outer mold. The packer head 21 rotatesand has suitable blades 22 thereon for moving the material toward theouter edges thereof and filling the pipe forming cavity with ace-mentitious material illustrated generally at 23. The packer head alsocarries rollers that will pack the concrete against the outer mold toform the pipe.

The packer head 21 can be of any usual or preferred design known in thetrade. The packer head 21 is in turn fixedly attached to the uprightdrive shaft 24 which passes through and is rotatably supported by anouter support tube 25 and is rotatably mounted on a vertically movablecarriage 26. The carriage 26 includes upper and lower support members 27and 2 8, respectively which move as a unit along suitable guide shafts32, 32 which are rfixed between the upper member 13 of the frame 111 anda guide plate cross member 43. The carriage 26 is raised and lowered inany suitable manner, for example a winch illustrated schematically at 33that is supported on the top member 13 and has a controlled cable 64extending downwardly to engage the upper member 27 of the carriage 26.By operating the winch the carriage 2 6 can be raised or lowered asdesired.

The shaft 24 is located on the rotational axis of the packer head 21 andalso is coincidental with the axis of the outer jacket '15 for the pipeto be formed. This puts the axis of shaft 24 directly on the axis of thepipe which will be formed.

A bevel gear 35 is drivably mounted on the upper end of the shaft 24 andis held from axially movement along the shaft as well as rotating withthe shaft. Bevel gear 35 is positioned above the lower member 28 of thecarriage 26 land a suitable thrust bearing 36 can be placed between theback of the gear and the top of the lower support member 28 to supportthe gear as it rotates. The gear 35 will carry the vertical load of thepacker head 21. A pinion 3-7 drivalbly engages the bevel gear 35 and isdriven through a shaft 38 from a motor 41. Whenever the motor 41 ispowered, shaft 38 will rotate, and the gear set 35 and 37 will cause theshaft 24 to rotate, which in turn will cause the packer head 21 torotate. Movement of thecarriage up and down will also cause the packerhead to be raised and lowered along its axis through the connection ofgear 35 and shaft 24. The packer head can be rotated at the same time itis raised and lowered.

The outer support tube 25 has an integral flange 42 at an upper endthereof which is bolted to the bottom member 2 8 of the carriage 26. Thesupport tube 25 also raises and lowers along with the carriage. A guideplate 43 is mounted on the frame 11 and has a plurality of rollers 44which roll against the outer surfaces of the support tube 25 and help tokeep the support tube in position so that the axis of shaft 24 coincideswith the axis of the jacket 15. The shaft 24 will rotate within thesupport tube (on suitable bearings) but the shaft 24 and tube 25 do notmove longitudinally relative to each other.

In making of reinforced concrete pipe, a reinforcing cage 45 which ismade up of suitable vertical reinforcing wires 46 joined together byannularly extending wires 47. The wires are welded at theirintersections to form the cage. The cage is placed within the outerjacket 15. The cage 45 must be spaced from the outer jacket 15, asshown, and also must be spaced from the outer surface of the packer head21. The cementitious material indicated at 23 is packed around the cage45 and the cage reinforces this cementitious material or concrete whenthe pipe has been formed. As can be seen, the cages merely rest on thepallet 16 at the bottom end thereof and has a bell shaped section 51which corresponds to the end portion of the jacket 15. The upper end ofthe cage is spaced downwardly from a tongue forming header 52 that isattached to the charging or filling platform 17.

In order to obtain high quality pipe it is imperative that thereinforcing cage 45 is properly positioned between the jacket and packerhead 21. It is also imperative that the proper spacing is maintainedfrom the jacket 15 and the packer head so that the thickness of theconcrete surrounding the cage is the proper thickness.

In order to insure that the reinforcing cage 45 is properlyconcentrically or co-axially positioned about the axis of the pipe, acage locator structure illustrated generally at 54 is provided.

The cage locator assembly '54 includes a plurality of guides comprisedof double acting hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders 55 (three as shown)which are welded or otherwise fixedly attached to an annular band 56that in turn is spaced outwardly from the tubular support and isattached thereto with suitable closure rings 57, 57. The closure rings57 and band 56 from a manifold 58 which extends annular around thesupport tube 25. The hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders 55, as shown, arespaced 120 degrees apart and each has a slidably mounted piston 61therein. More or less cylinders can be use-d if desired. In certaincases elliptical cross section reinforcing cages are used in cylindricalconcrete pipes in order to get greater strength with less steel. Whenelliptical cages are used, four cylinders are used along the major andminor axes of the ellipse. The cage longitudinal axis still coincideswith the packer head axis, which is the pipe axis, while the descriptiondeals with a cylindrical cage and holding the cage concentric with thepacker head in the cases where an elliptical cage is used, thisterminology is to mean the axis of the cage and pipe are substantiallycoincidental. Each piston 61 is sealed with respect to the interior ofits associated cylinder with a suitable O-ring 62. A separate ellipticalcross section piston rod 63 is fixedly attached to each of the pistonsand extends outwardly through a provided opening in its respectivecylinder end cap 64. Each end cap in turn has an O-ring '65 with sealson the piston rod 63. The outer end of each of the piston rods has aseparate tubular sleeve 66 pinned thereto, as at 69. Sleeves 66 areremovable from their piston rods by replacing the pin joining it to therod. Sleeves 66 have a nut 67 welded at the outer end thereof and a stud70 is threadably mounted in the nut 67. Each of the studs 70 is alsofixedly mounted in a collar 71 that is attached to separate reinforcingcage support shoe 72. The shoe 72, as shown, comprises a round rodhaving outer end portions 73 bent away from the reinforcing cage. The

main portions of the shoe 72 extend longitudinally, or in other words,parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The shoe 72 will restagainst or be only slightly spaced from the annular wires 47 of thereinforcing cage assembly 45 and slide upwardly and downwardly withrespect to these wires. The elliptical cross section of the rods on thecylinders prevents them from rotating and therefore maintains the shoesproperly oriented.

As shown typically in FIG. 4, the band 56 of the manifold 58 has threeports or openings 75 defined therethrough. Each of the ports or openings75 aligns with one of the cylinders 55 and is open to the interiorthereof. A pressure conduit 76 is also open to the interior of themanifold 58. The conduit 76 is connected in a suitable manner to asuitable double acting control valve shown schematically at 77. Thevalve 77 controls fluid under pressure from a suitable source, such as ahydraulic pump 79. When moved to proper position fiuid under pressurewill be directed to conduit 76.

Each of the cylinders 55 has a passageway 78 in its respective end cap64. A suitable common conduit 81 is connected to each of the passageways78 and leads back to the valve 77. The cylinders are then hydraulicallyconnected in parallel.

When the valve 77 is positioned to direct fluid under pressure throughconduit 76 to manifold 58, suitable ports also open so that the conduit81 is connected back to the reservoir and will permit fliud to flowfreely from the rod sides of the pistons 61. The pressure in manifold 58will in turn exert hydraulic fluid pressure through the port 75 intoeach of the cylinders 55. This will force the pistons 61 in direction asindicated by arrow 82 in FIG. 4. This will also force the shoes 72 inthis direction until the pistons hit the end caps. The shoes arenormally held in slightly spaced relation to the cage. This permits somevariation in cage size and also helps to make the unit work when thecages are slightly elliptical.

In order to make sure that the cage is properly positioned when theshoes 72 are in their extended position adjacent the inner surfaces ofthe cage, the tubular sleeves 65 and studs are adjusted in length sothat the shoes 72 for each of the cylinders will extend an equaldistance outwardly from the axis of the shaft 25, and, therefore, theaxis of the pipe which will be formed when the pistons 61 are againsttheir end caps. This position is shown in FIG. 4.

If different diameter cages are used different sleeves 66 are used.Also, the threadable adjustment of the studs 70 will aid in making minoradjustments. In all cases in operation fluid under pressure isintroduced into the manifold 58 and each piston 61 will contact the endcap 64 of its respective cylinder assembly before the cage is properlypositioned.

In the forming operation, the cage and outer mold are properlypositioned below the charging platform with the packer head in a raisedposition, according to well-known procedures.

The packer head is lowered down inside the cage as shown in FIG. 2. Thecontrol valve is actuated by an operator so that fluid under pressure isadmitted to manifold 58. The shoes 72 engage the cage and the device isready to be used. Concrete or other cementitious material will be pouredonto the charging platform 17 from suitable chutes leading from a sourceof supply and will be scraped through the openings 83 at the upper endof the outer jacket 15. If necessary, the upper part of the cage can besteadied by the operator during the initial portion of the fillingoperation. The material coming through opening 83 will fall on top ofthe packer head. The motor 41 will then be started which in turn willrotate the shaft 24 and rotate the packer head. It will be noted thatthe outer tubular member 25 will not rotate and therefore the shoes 72will not rotate either. Cementitious material will be forced outwardlyby the blades 22 to fill the pipe forming cavity between the packer head21 and the jacket 15. After the lower portions of the pipe formingcavity have been filled as shown in FIG. 2 the packer head will then bemoved upwardly by activating the winch 33 and pulling on the carriage26. The packer head will continue to rotate. At the same time, the tube25 will be raised. This will cause the shoes 72 to slide up with respectto the cage in a vertically upward direction. This will insure that thecage is being properly positioned as the packer head advances upwardlyand that there will be sufiicient material on both sides of the cage.The shoes 7-2 lead the packer head by a short distance. The shoes willhold the section of the cage surrounding the packer head properlypositioned.

Once the shoes 72 reach the top portions of the cage 21 small finger 84on the carriage 26 will trip a microswitch 85 which will activate asolenoid 80 to move valve 77 in opposite direction and will direct fluidunder pressure through the conduit 81 and passageway 78 into theinterior of the cylinders 55. The pressure will act against the rodsides of the pistons 61 and will force the pistons in oppositedirections as indicated by arrow 82. The valve 77 is made so thatsuitable ports will open to permit the fluid within the cylinders 55 toflow back out through opening port 75, manifold 58 and conduit 76 intothe reservoir. Shoes 72 will then be moved to their retracted positionwherein the end of tubular sleeve 66 strikes against the end cap 64.This will be sufiicient distance so that the shoes 72 will clear theinner peripheral edges of the tongue forming pallet or ring 52. Thepacker head will continue to be raised until the complete pipe has beenformed, including the portions Within the ring 52. It will be noted thatthe packer head can pass through the opening 83. The valve 77 is made sothat once the microswitch has been tripped the valve will remain inposition to hold the cylinder rods and shoes in retracted position untilthe valve is manually operated again. This can be done by the use of aspring loaded detent 86 on the solenoid, as shown, which will hold thevalve handle in the dotted position shown in FIG. 5 until the controlhandle is manually moved, regardless of the position of the microswitch.If desired, suitable time delay relays can be provided, which, once themicroswitch is tripped, will lock the control valve in position untilthe cylinders are fully retracted and then will release the valve to itsneutral position, (the valve must be spring loaded to neutral) whichwill hold the cylinders retracted. A relief valve 74 can be provided toprevent damage to the system.

When the pipe has been finished the packer head will be raisedcompletely clear of the charging platform 17 and the brackets 53 will bereleased. The charging platform 17 will be raised and the outer jacket15 and the finished pipe can be carried away for curing. With the packerhead in its raised position a new reinforcing cage 45 can be placed on anew pallet 16 and a new outer jacket 15 can also be placed around thereinforcing cage. The packer head will then be again lowered to positionshown in FIG. 2, the cage positioner 54 will be actuated by moving thevalve control handle to position to direct fluid under pressure into theinterior of the cylinders 55. The shoes 72 will then properlyconcentrically position the reinforcing cage with respect to the axis ofthe pipe and the forming operation can be repeated.

It will be noted that shoe 72 will slide easily past the annular wires47 as the positioner is raised during the initial pipe forming sequence.It is again to be noted that once the initial pass has been made by thepacker head the positioning shoes 72 will be retracted to clear the ring52 at the upper end of the pipe and will remain retracted during allsubsequent operations of the packer head in packing, forming andsmoothing the interior of the pipe. The shoes therefore retract so theyclear the inside diam- :ter of the formed pipe.

What is claimed is:

1. In a pipe making machine having an outer mold jacket, a reinforcingmember positioned within said outer mold jacket, and an axially movablepacker head within said mold, the improvement comprising positionermeans for holding said reinforcing member spaced between the innersurface of outer mold jacket and the outer surface of said packer head,said means comprising a plurality of radially extending guides, aseparate shoes at the outer end of each of said guides, said radiallyextending guides being movable between extended and retracted positions,and actuating means to move said radially extending guides to theirextended position wherein said shoes hold said reinforcing member spacedfrom and between the mold and packer head and to move said radiallyextending guides to their retracted position, wherein said shoes clearsaid reinforcing member.

2. The combination as specified in claim 1 wherein the guides areaxially spaced from the packer head and are movable with the packer headin axial direction.

3. The combination with a machine for making reinforced concrete pipehaving a substantially cylindrical outer mold, a reinforcing cagepositioned within said outer mold and spaced therefrom, and an axiallymovable rotatable packer head within said reinforcing cage, of:positioner means to position said cage so the longitudinal axis thereofis substantially coincidental with the axis of said packer head and inspaced relationship between the inner surface of said outer mold and theouter surface of said packer head, said positioner means comprising aplurality of radially extensible members, said members being movablebetween an extended and retracted position, and a separate shoe at theouter end of each of said radially extensible members adapted toposition and hold said cage substantially co-axial with the packer headwhen said members are in their extended position, said members beingaxially movable with said packer head.

4. The combination as specified in claim 3 wherein said radiallyextensible members have elongated shoes at the outer ends thereof, thelongitudinal dimension of said shoes extending substantially parallel tothe axis of said packer head.

5. The combination as specified in claim 3 wherein said radiallyextensible members are comprised as a plurality of radially extendingfluid actuated cylinders of the double acting type having extensible andretractable rods each cylinder being fluidly connected in parallel withthe others, and mechanical stop means to prevent movement of theextensible rods beyond their extended position.

6. A device for positioning a reinforcing cage within an outer mold of apipe machine having a rotatable axially movable packer head concentricwith said outer mold, said device including a plurality of extensiblemembers vertically movable with said packer head and positioned spacedabove said packer head, said members being movable from extendedposition wherein they hold said reinforcing cage substantially co-axialwith the packer head to a retracted position wherein they will clear theinside diameter of the pipe formed by the packer head, and means to movesaid members between their extended and retracted positions.

7. The combination as specified in claim 6 and control means operable tomove said members to their retracted position whenever said members moveto position aligned with the upper portions of said pipe.

8. The combination as specified in claim 6, wherein said radiallyextensible members are comprised as a plurality of radially extendingfluid actuated cylinders of the double acting type having extendible andretractable rods, each cylinder being fluidly connected in parallel withthe others, and stop means to prevent movement of the extendible rodsbeyond their extended position.

9. In a machine for making reinforced concrete pipe having asubstantially vertical outer mold, a reinforcing cage within said outermold, a rotatable packer head positioned concentrically within saidouter mold and cage and adapted to be moved in direction along itsrotational axis, said packer head being drivably mounted to a shaftwhich is rotatably attached to a support member, a tubular housingaround said shaft and movable with said packer head and a tongue formingheader at the upper end of said mold having an inner diameter ofsubstantially less than the inner diameter of the reinforcing cage insaid mold, of: a positioner for said cage comprising a plurality ofradially extending fluid actuated cylinders attached to said tubularsupport, said cylinders having internal pistons with outwardlyprojecting piston rods which are movable between extended and retractedpositions, a separate shoe attached to the outer ends of each of saidpiston rods, said shoes being adapted to engage said cage and hold itsubstantially concentric with the axis of said tube when said pistonrods are in their extended positions, stop means provided on saidcylinders to prevent said rods from from moving beyond their normalextended positions, and means to direct fluid under pressure to saidcylinders so as to move said cylinders to retracted position whereinsaid shoes will pass through the opening in a pipe formed by said packerhead.

10. In a pipe making machine having a substantially cylindrical outermold jacket, an axially movable substantially cylindrical packer headpositioned concentric with the jacket and rotatable with respectthereto, and a reinforcing cage located in the annular cavity betweenthe mold and the packer head, the improvement comprising a positionerfor the reinforcing cage, said positioner comprising a plurality ofradially extensible members movable with said packer head in the axialdirection of the packer head, said radially extensible members beingradially movable between an extended position wherein the outer endportions of said members extend outwardly from the axis of rotation ofthe packer head a distance greater than the radius of the packer headand less than the radius of the inner surface of said outer mold, to aretracted position wherein the extensible members are of length which isless than the radius of said packer head.

11. The combination as specified in claim 10 wherein said members arecomprised as a plurality of radially extending double acting fluidactuated cylinders having extendible and retractable rods, each cylinderbeing fluidly connected in parallel with the others, and wherein each ofsaid rods has an elongated shoe at the outer end thereof, thelongitudinal dimension of said shoe being substantially parallel to theaxis of said packer head.

12. The combination as specified in claim Ill and control means for saidfluid actuated cylinders adapted to cause said cylinders to move saidrods to their retracted position whenever the extensible members aremoved vertically to position adjacent an upper end of the mold and tohold said rods in said retracted position, and manually operable meansfor returning said piston rods to their extended positions.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 981,051 1/1911Besser 2536 1,828,890 10/1931 Cook 25-36 1,938,230 12/1933 Ukropina 25362,575,353 11/1951 MacEvoy 25-38 3,180,000 4/1965 Bossner 251l8 J.SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

G. A. KAP, Examiner.

6. A DEVICE FOR POSITIONING A REINFORCING CAGE WITHIN AN OUTER MOLD OF APIPE MACHINE HAVING A ROTATABLE AXIALLY MOVABLE PACKER HEAD CONCENTRICWITH SAID OUTER MOLD, SAID DEVICE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF EXTENSIBLEMEMBERS VERTICALLY MOVABLE WITH SAID PACKER HEAD AND POSITIONED SPACEDABOVE SAID PACKER HEAD, SAID MEMBERS BEING MOVABLE FROM EXTENDEDPOSITION WHEREIN THEY HOLD SAID REINFORCING CAGE SUBSTANTIALLY CO-AXIALWITH THE PACKER HEAD TO A RETRACTED POSITION WHEREIN THEY WILL CLEAR THEINSIDE DIAMETER OF THE PIPE FORMED BY THE PACKER HEAD,